


Launch Date but its Klance

by softb01willo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Basically, I had to get this into the world before someone else did (someone probably had) so its mildly rushed, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Minor shiro/curtis (im so sorry adam i couldnt go that far with the plot change to bring you back), Mutual Pining, Mutual Pining?, Soft Keith/Lance (Voltron), Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Space Mom Allura (Voltron), This is only second story on here so I Suck! Haha, Voltron, i guess, instead of the sunset scene with keith allura gives him advice because we flipped the switch, its just klance, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 03:50:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17542127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softb01willo/pseuds/softb01willo
Summary: Basically, I rewrote Launch Date so it's actually good. I started writing this immediately after I watched season 8 and then finished it literally two minutes ago, so... Enjoy.





	Launch Date but its Klance

**Author's Note:**

> lm and jds could never

Sitting in the cafeteria of the garrison for what felt like the last time, was Lance Serrano. He stirred his soup and prodded the buoyant pieces of vegetables, thoughts racing past his mind. His brain was going to turn to soup soon. Sighing as he looked up and saw his best friend approaching.

"Lance! Have you seen it? They made a TV show about us!" He said with a laugh and sat down, oblivious to Lance's forlorn expression. "They got you perfectly, but Keith! Haha! He's happy all the time! They got it so wrong. And Allura is - Well. She's - she's different. Oh, and I think they're getting at a romance between Keith and Allura."

Lance slammed his spoon on the table and stood up, pushing his chair back with a screech. "WHAT?!! Keith and Allura?! That - That just makes no freaking sense!"

Hunk blinked and grinned good naturedly, rolling his eyes a little. "Oh yeah, I forget you've got that thing for Allura. Don't worry man, it's just a TV show."

Lance sighed and slumped back in his chair. "It's not about the TV show, Hunk. And I'm.. not so sure about Allura anymore." He said, looking back down into his soup.

Hunk gawked at him. "What?! But you've been crazy about her forever dude! What's brought this on?"

Lance sipped his soup. "I just think... Maybe I threw myself into it. I just saw a pretty alien chick and tricked myself into thinking I'd fallen head over heels before I even got to know her. I mean, Allura's incredible, right?"

Hunk nodded firmly.

"But me and her.. Aren't mean to be together. I don't think it'd ever work, not that she'd ever be interested. And that's cool. Me and her are good friends. But.. Hm." he said and resumed frowning, chewing on his spoon.

Hunk interlaced his fingers and tapped his foot excitedly. "Buuut?"

Lance narrowed his eyes at Hunk and flicked a pea at him. "Hunk, I just spilled out my soul to you! I've admitted that I've been wrong about the girl I've been obsessing over for the entire time I've been a defender of the universe but you're still more interested in who I like instead? Come on man -"

"SO YOU DO LIKE SOMEONE ELSE!" Hunk cried and pumped his fists in the air, completely ignoring the pea stuck in his hair. "Who is it? Is it Keith?"

Lance's eyes shot open and he froze in the middle of raising his spoon, splashing the soup onto the table. Staring at Hunk's curious and gleeful expression, he dropped his spoon with a clatter as blood rushed to his cheeks.

"How - How - howdidyoushsnnfkek?!! How did you know?!" He wheezed, his voice weak with incredulous confusion.

Hunk shrugged. "It's kind of obvious man, from where I'm standing. I mean, have you seen the looks Keith gives you? His eyes go all big and he kinda smirks and you totally do it back! And then you're all like, 'Good job team leader!' and 'I got you buddy!' and all that junk. I don't know if I'm paying way too much attention or its actually blindingly obvious but yeah, I could guess."

Lance rubbed his cheeks. "I'm never gonna hear the end of this...!!"

The Yellow paladin suddenly inhaled deeply and gasped, "DUDE!" He slammed his hands on the table, making Lance and several other people in the canteen jump.  
 "You HAVE to ask him out! It's the last day of being on earth, this is your only chance!"

Lance stuttered and shook his head violently, waved his hands around, gesticulating until he could pull some words out his mouth.   
"What?! First of all, this better not be my only chance! I plan on coming back from space, thanks. And second of all, ARE YOU CRAZY?! I can't just ASK him out! Not now! He - He doesn't even like me! What if he doesn't even like guys?! He's gonna be busy with his mom, or -"

"Lance, Lance, Lance. What happened to the connoisseur of love inside of you, buddy?"

"That's an ACT, Hunk! I gotta have SOMETHING to hide my rock bottom self esteem!"

Hunk laughed nervously.   
"Yeah, okay. My bad. But listen! It'll go fine! Don't even call it a date, just ask him if he wants to grab dinner with you! Doesn't even have to last that long, just sit and talk about stuff! Get to know Keith and then you can decide if you think it'll work out, if he likes you, and vice versa."

Lance chewed the inside of his mouth. "That... could work, but still, I'm throwing myself into it -"

Hunk grabbed his hand and pulled him up and racing after the black paladin that just passed by the cafeteria. "No more buts, Lance! Shoot your shot, sharpshooter!!" He whispered, shoving Lance in Keith's direction.

"Huuuunk!!" He hissed at him, desperately shaking his head but before he knew it he had slammed right into Keith's back. Lance yelped and sprang away as Keith turned around.

"Oh, hey Lance." He said, smiling a little, but it faded when he saw Lance was bright red and staring at him with big eyes, fiddling with his fingers.  
"Are.. You okay?"

Lance stammered. "I - I - I - I, yeah! I'm - I'm good. Great. Areyoudoinganythingotonight?" He blurted out, his lightly quivering hands picking at each other.

Keith blinked and frowned. "Tonight? No. Lance, are you sure you're okay?"

With a deflate of his broad shoulders, Lance sighed deeply and shook his head. "Yep, I'm good. Sorry - um. So, if you're not. Doing anything tonight, I was wondering if you wanted to have - have dinner with me tonight..?"

As he was spitting out the mess of a sentence, Lance's eyes widened and his smile dropped. "My family." he whispered in realization.  
Lance was having dinner with his family tonight! He couldn't cancel that for Keith, could he? He didn't want to listen to Hunk, but this very well could be his last chance, his last day of Earth, ever. He should spend that with his family..  Right?

"Sorry, what? Dinner with... You? And your family?" Keith said incredulously, blinking rapidly. Was he really hearing this? Lance was asking him to have dinner with his family?

Lance shot up a hand and pointed up in a triumphant manner. "YES! Yes! Come to my house - and - and spend the last night on Earth eating the best cooking on the planet! My moms." Lance said with hands on his hips. A bead of sweat was stealthily making its way down his temple.

 What was he thinking?! 

Keith noticed Hunk bouncing up and down behind the doorway of the neighbouring room. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "This isn't a joke, is it?"

Lance felt his soul leave his body but tried not to turn into a crying puddle on the garrison floor. That wouldn't have looked good.  
 He firmly shook his head and seriously looked at him.   
"No. Not a joke."

Keith laughed a little and smiled. "Then uh, I'd love to, Lance. That'd be great." 

Lance laughed shakily and gave him a thumbs up. "Okay so 6pm this evening outside the garrison just wear casual clothes and I'll see you then bye!" Lance said in one breath and sprinted away, yelping as he dodged a passing crew member.

Keith ran a hand through his hair and smiled softly. "Huh."

 

With the final mission briefing adjourned, people began to file out of the room and Shiro gathered his things, walking down a hallway alone.

"Hey, Shiro! Hey." Keith called, waving and catching up to him.

Shiro smiled, turning to him. "Hey, Keith."

Keith laughed a little, scratching his jawline. "Yeah, um. I need to - to - I need your advice on your something. Something - important. And. I just need some help. A lot."

The older man gave Keith a confused look. "Is everything okay?" 

"Yeah. Um, so, I think Lance asked me out on a date."

Shiro was about to take a step forward but he almost tripped, choking on his own saliva. "What?! Keith, that's great!" He said with a grin. "Your first date!"

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Shiro, absolutely nothing about this is great. Lance is gonna regret this decision, I have no idea how to act -"

"Say no more, Keith! Come on!" Shiro said excitedly and took the younger paladins hand, pulling him down the hallway to his office.

"Okay, so. Keith, welcome to dating etiquette with your commanding officer. Firstly, what's the setting? Dinner?"

"Uh, yeah. With his family."

Shiro put a hand on his chin. "Oh, boy. Risky, but we can make it work! Okay, you need clothes. Curtis will have some you can borrow."

"Curtis? Why him?"

Shiro gave a coy smile. "Hey, you're not the only one who's been getting dates around here.''

Keith's jaw falls open softly when the penny drops for him.

 

-

 

"With KEITH?!" Pidge yelled, her glasses getting stuck on her forehead as she whips her head up at the speed of light. "Keith? Keith Kogane is having dinner with your family?"

Lance was sitting in the plant station with his head in his hands. "I know! I don't know what I was thinking! I just couldn't backtrack and I couldn't just go, 'Oh sorry Keith, totally forget that I almost threw up while trying to ask you out, I've got other plans!''. I'd look so dumb. Ugh... this is the worst case scenario."

"Lets look at the positives, guys! Lance is going on a date with one of the nicest guys we know." Hunk reasoned, arms folded and leaning on a plantation.

Pidge let out a huff of laughter, a tuft of hair blowing off her face. "Yeah. Keith. So nice."

"Aw cmon. He's been nice! He smiles a lot more now."

Lance curls his legs up and sighs. "I'm so lame. Keth must think I'm an idiot! Who has a first date with the persons family?!"

Hunk patted his back. Pidge slid over and shoved her finger in Lance's cheek. He moaned and swatted her away, cupping his face and pouting.

"Lance, the worst thing that can happen is - .. Uh.." Pidge began but trailed off.

He looked up at her with a frown. "Finish your sentence, Pidge."

She laughs nervously and pushes her glasses further up her nose. "Best not. There's way too many things that could go wrong."

Lance began to groan loudly but Hunk clamps a hand over his mouth.

"Best case scenario is that Keith and Lance have a great time together and their relationship gets stronger and it helps Voltron beat stuff better. Positive thinking, people!" Hunk encouraged.

Lance bared his teeth with a groan, mocking a smile. "Positive thinking, right. I think Slav is having more positive thoughts than me now. There is a 99.9% chance in all realities that this will suck. I really wanted to get to know Keith more.. He's so cool, y'know. I'm done with the rivalry, I just wanna like, hang out with him!"

Pidge's smirk was reaching up to her ears. "I thought mullets weren't cool, Lance."

"Oh, shut up - !"

 

Back in Shiro's office a little while later, Keith was kitted out in a black button up shirt that was a little long on him and a pair of Keith's old boots Shiro managed to salvage from his old dorm. 

On the board was a pinned mindmap of several points, mostly made of pink cardboard cut-out hearts. How Shiro made a full strategic plan for the date with Lance in a ten minutes he didn't know, and felt afraid to ask.

Shiro whipped a pencil to the column labelled "personal questions".

"His family asks you about your childhood. What do you say?"

Keith looks at the flash cards and then back up at her friend with a frown. "Uh. I say it was okay?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Shiro shook his head. "Okay," He slams the pencil into the section labelled "Lance!"  
"His family asks you how you met Lance. What do you say?"

"Uhhhhh. Wouldn't it be weird to say I met him while rescuing the brother I never had from an alien escape pod with a bandana round my face?"

Clasping his hands and sighing deeply, Shiro set the pencil down.  
"How long until the date?"

"Uhm," Keith checked the clock. "Three hours and 12 minutes."

Flexing his shoulders and cracking his left hands knuckles, Shiro took a deep breath.

"We've got work to do."

 

-

 

Lance ran up to Hunk, panting. 

"I tried to find Shiro for help like you said, but guess what! He's in his office. With KEITH. So that's a no go. I need someone who knows Keith well! I don't want to like, offend him? Say something dumb?!"

Hunk simply deadpanned at his friend. "You've known Keith for years. Why are you acting like its middle school prom? You know him better than anyone, Lance. ...Well, apart from Shiro. Obviously."

"Obviously."

"I don't think you need guidance, buddy! I think you need a moral booster. Get your charisma high!" Hunk said, shaking Lance by the shoulder. Lance straightened up and pulled his chin in the air.

"Alright, I'm ready. Boost my moral to the heavens, Hunk." 

Hunk slipped his hand away from his shoulder and smiled with crossed arms. "Not from me." Lance relaxed his posture and frowned. "From her." And he pointed.

Allura was walking with Romelle with a smile on her face, about to pass by them.

Lance squinted, his lips folding in on themselves as he glared at Hunk.   
"Are you trying to make my life hard, Hunk? Are you? You some kind of freaking MASOCHIST?!"

Flinging his hands up in the air, he cut Romelle and Allura off on their path, almost knocking them. He yelped and flung back.  
"Sorry! Sorry, girls. Ladies. Uh, sorry." 

"Oh, it's quite alright Lance. Are you feeling well? You look rather pale." Allura said with tired look. She had been so caught up with the new alteans Lance felt bad for existing near her at all. But he decided to grow some and talk to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, can I talk to you? For a second? It won't take long, I promise." Lance said, smiling goofily and resisted scratching his neck awkwardly.

She wavered but smiled back. "Of course. Romelle, make sure to tell me if anything happens. Is it private, Lance?"

He stammered and shrugged, rubbing his arm. "Kind of."

Hunk put a hand on Romelle's shoulder and began walking.

"We'll leave you guys to it! Walk with me, Romelle. So, about those Altean tart thingies you were telling me about ..."

 

And there they were. Standing in the garrison halls. An empty feeling crept up in Lance's heart as he glanced round the rooms where his teen years were spent. And now Allura's here. It was so strange to him, so foreign.

"So.." Allura said, trying provoke Lance into conversation.

He jumped and snapped his eyes back to her, laughing.  
"Sorry. Out of it. Out of it, because... Uh, I asked Keith out."

Allura stared at him. He nervously stared back.

"Like. Out. On, a date? Y'know? Dinner. With my family."

Within a split second, Allura's entire body language changed and she gasped loudly, almost shrieking.

"Oh my goodness! You're courting Keith?"

Before Lance could stutter out in protest, she continued.

"I was so worried you were going to confess your feelings to me, but this is such wonderful news! Oh, Keith and Lance! I knew there was something going on between you two..." She added with sly speculation, hand on her cheek.

Lance felt his cheeks heat up and he looked down at his feet, and his heart beated faster. Why was he only going red now? He should've turned into a beet as soon as he was alone with Allura. But at the mention of Keith...

He looked back up at her. "Yep." Lance laughed a little. "Hunk said that too. But, I did like you. Y'know, a lot. So I thought who better to talk to about this? Get my feelings out... If you're okay with that? I talk a lot. Like, way too much."

Allura clasped her hands, eyes shining. "Lance, you are an incredibly complex person, you know that?"

Lance was a little surprised at the change of subject. He blinked and let her continue.

"You put up this face of being carefree and 'cool', and so often flirtatious, but there is so much more to you than that. You are strategic, you'd sacrifice yourself for your team, and you have developed so deeply as a person that you changed lions! And even as I took note of all the times you were a little over the top with me.. You stopped. You learnt and respected everyone around you, understanding your teammates more than I ever could, really. I assume you came to me for advice with pursuing Keith and all I can say is," She set a hand on his shoulder.   
"That as the incredible pilot of both the Blue and Red Lion, you have become amazing, because you always have been. You are perfect for Keith, as a rival, as a friend, and you could even say a lover." She said, a passionate glimmer in her eyes as she made eye contact with him, a determined smile on her face.

Lance simply just stared at her. He tried to stop his eyes watering but he knew there was no point. He smiled at her and rubbed the sparks of tears from his eyes.

"Wow." He said, voice cracking a little. "You know I fully intended on leading this conversation, but. Huh."

"I may have gotten a little carried away there. Oh dear, I haven't made you cry have I? Oh no!" She said, slipping a hand off his shoulder and pressing her palms together.

He laughed and shook his head. "Now that.. Is what you call a moral booster. Oh my gosh. Allura... Thank you."

"Anytime, Lance. I just wanted to reaffirm your value. You are a defender of the universe, after all. There would be no Voltron without you, in any circumstances."

As the two hugged, the cold garrison corridor felt warmer than it ever had been in Lance's heart.

 

Keith stood at the rocky edge of the mesa-like terrain that surrounded the garrison.  
5:56pm, he estimated in his head as he rubbed circles into his palm, looking off into the sunset.

Lance asked him on a date.

He tried not think about it so giddily, but he couldn't really help it. Sometime after the foresaken "bonding moment" he started developing a crush on him. He was in denial about it for a while, but after being stuck on the back of the whale for two years its hard not to realise how in love you are.

Maybe it was the way he laughed, the way it reminded him of the ocean, the way the corners of his mouth made dimples in his cheeks ever so slightly. Maybe it was the way he would always constantly run his fingers through his short brown hair, slicking it back, fluffing it up. It was all the little things that made Keith want to kick himself.

But apart from all that?

He felt like Lance understood him. Not just that, he was good for him. Keith didn't believe in soulmates and didn't like the idea of not being whole without another person, but Lance was the closest thing he's ever felt to that. He's his stability. Keith wouldn't be the Black Paladin he was now without Lance. They were teammates.  
They were friends.

"Keith!" He heard a familiar voice call, a little shriller than usual.

Turning round with arms folding, Keith supressed a wide smile as Lance tumbled up the hill to his side, in a short sleeved button up blue shirt. He was holding something behind his back with a grin.

"Only two minutes and thirty five seconds late." He said, slipping his hands into his pockets and smiling softly at Lance.

Rolling his eyes and scoffing, Lance brushed his choppy hair to the side of his face with one hand. "Whatever, dropout. Wait, how did you -? You don't even have a watch on you! Did you count the seconds?!"

"Uh, maybe?" 

Lance leaned his head back and laughed, letting his other hand fall to his side. He was holding a soft wrapped package. Clothes..?

He noticed Keith was eyeing the item, and held it up with a shy smile.

"Thought you might want this back. Here."

"Oh...?" Keith hummed as he took the package. Hesitantly glancing up at Lance and then pulled off the black packaging, his eyes widened at the white and red pattern he saw beneath.

"Lance."

Unfolding it quickly and staring at it in awe, Keith's mouth was open and his eyes big.

"Lance." He said again, his voice cracking a little.   
"You... Kept my jacket?"

Lance was blushing furiously. Clearing his throat and avoiding eye contact, he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I kept your stupid cropped jacket, Keith. It was an accident, though! Okay! It was - It was in Red. So, thank yourself for leaving it in there. Not me."

Delightedly pulling it on, Keith was grinning. "No way. I'm gonna thank you. I didn't think I'd ever see this again!"

"Oh my god. You're way too excited about the jacket, Keith."

Rolling his eyes and smiling, Keith flicked up the collar, pushing his long hair under it. "Let me live, Lance. I don't have much else to my name. Or any other clothes."

Lance smiled at him, glancing up and down. It felt good to see Keith in his normal clothes again. With everything changing, it was comforting to see that dumb jacket...

"Uh, we should head over now. I think they're excited to meet you." Lance said with a sheepish smile. "First time bringing a boy home."

Keith looked surprised. "Your charms don't work as well on the guys then, huh?"

Lance made a noise of indigination as they began walking down the sandy hill, the glowing amber sun as their backdrop.  
"Hey, I don't exactly bring many girls home either, alright?"

Keith gave him a look of doubt.

 

-

 

"Okay. Just let me know if it gets ... Too much." Lance said, hand resting on the doorknob. "You lived alone in a shed for like three years, so my family is gonna be a little overbearing for you."

Before Keith could reply, the door swings open before Lance could open it himself, revealing a woman who Keith could only assume was Lance's mother.

"Lance! Oh at last, you're here. We have been looking forward to this all day! Well, ever since three hours ago when you told us you'd be bringing a date. Keith, it is so nice to meet you!" She said cheerfully. Keith held his hand out to shake hers but instead Mrs Serrano pulled him into a tight hug.

"Uhm - Ma! Not everyone likes to be attacked with hugs as soon as they meet you, ma." Lance said nervously.

Keith flashed him a look of reassurance and as Mrs Serrano pulled away he smiled at her a little awkwardly.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you, ma'am." He said.

"Lance's boyfriend is here!!" two children called from the hallway, running up and down the stairs.

"Oh my god." Lance groaned, facepalming.

 

Some child wrestling and small talk later, Keith and Lance were sitting at the table with masses of food laid in front of them, chatting about Lance's childhood.

"Wait," Keith laughed. "So what did he do?"

"Uh, he told on me. Of course." Veronica said. "Pop-pop gave him ice cream and I got none."

Keith covered his mouth full of food as he tried not to snicker at Lance's adorably solemn expression, arms folded and lips pursed.

Lance's older brother Marco laughed. "Yeah, Lance has always been the baby of the family. It took him finally bringing someone home to graduate to the adult table!"

Rachel gave them a dirty look from the kids table, scrunched up with Sylvio and Nadia, Lance's nephew and niece.

"Speaking of dates, Lance, could you put in a good word for me with the white-haired girl...?" Veronica said, swishing her glass of white wine, with a sly smile.

Lance gasped in offence. "Get your hands off Allura, Veronica!"

As the two were discussing Allura, Lance's mother leaned in close to Keith.

"Keith never brings a date home. You must mean a lot to him!" She said with a big smile, a glint in her eye.

Keith blinked and looked at Lance beside him.   
"Really...? So it is all talk, huh?"

His mother nodded wisely. "Gets it from his father. You get past that, you'll find a good boy with a big heart."

Smiling softly at the dramatic boy by his side, he turned his head back to Mrs Serrano.  
"Yeah, I feel like I already knew that."

 

Veronica stood up, her glass in the air.  
"A toast, to family. Though we may be apart after tomorrow, we'll always remain close in each other's hearts. Family is forever."

Everyone raises their glasses.

"To family!"

Lowering his glass and looking to Keith, Lance frowned. Keith never had this. He never had a big family always waiting for him.   
But he looked to Lance, locking eyes with him, dark black hair falling between his eyes, he smiled at him, and raised his glass.

"To family."

Then, Lance remembered.   
He does now. And he's part of it.

 

-

 

Walking through the park outside Lance's house in the moonlight, Keith and Lance were side by side in comfortable silence. It felt wrong to disturb the peace after the nonstop chatter of dinner.

Lance looked up to the bare tree that stood in the centre, withering from the galra attack.

"Man, it used to be so pretty here." He sighed, hands in his pockets.

Keith tilted his head and looked around.

"I think it still is. Look at the sky... All those stars. You'll always have the sky." Keith said, craning his head back.

Lance's eyes remained on Keith. The way his black hair fell down his head and reached his shoulders in that dumb hairstyle, a pitch black lock of hair curling round his pale jaw as he looked at the stars, his eyes violet in the moonlight.

Lance looked up too, and suddenly got an idea.  
He grabbed Keith's sleeve and dragged him out the entrance of the park, running up onto the sandy side of the road.

"What - okay if you're going to drag me drag me properly, Lance!" Keith called as he ran to catch up, brushing Lance's grip on his jacket away to take his hand. His heart beated a little faster as he felt the warm skin against his, like he was holding a firework in his palm, Keith smirked to himself as he was dragged uphill by his fellow paladin.

With a hop and a grunt, Lance yanked Keith up the hill to the top ("Lance, I'm not a ragdoll") and put a hand on his hip, smiling triumphantly at the brillant view around them.

"I used to come up here every night in the summer. One time I fell asleep here and Mom almost called the cops to report me missing." He said with a laugh, looking up at the midnight blue sky, Keith's hands still in his.

Keith smiled. "It's the same sky I used to watch every night, from the shack. I never found out what any of their names were, but I liked to join the dots in the sky and name constellations."

"Dude, me too! I know their real names, but they're boring. Stargaze with me, Keith?" Lance said, a cocky smile creeping up his lips, his eyes the same color as the sky around them.

"I.. Would love to, Lance."

Lance flopped down on the sandy ground, pulling Keith with him. The two boys laid on the ground, their fingers clumsily intertwined, the feeling seemed so natural they barely noticed.   
Keith raised his left hand and pointed to a closely knit cluster of stars.

"Oh, I used to call that the 'Spilt Rice' constellation."

Lance laughed and cocked his head. "Where?"

Moving closer and angling his body to suit Lance's perspective, Keith gestured again. "Right there. Next to the one that looks like a wheelbarrow."

"Oh! Bluebirds Nest! Keith, you called it the 'Spilt Rice'?!" Lance laughed, unable to wipe the grin off his face as he felt their arms touching and swore he felt the brush of that damned mullet against his shoulder.

"Yeah, well. It's been a while! I like 'Bluebirds Nest' better. It does sort of look like a nest."

"I was a poetic kid, I wasn't out here calling gigantic balls of gas "spilt rice."" 

"I am never gonna live this down, am I. It looks like rice, okay!" Keith defended, elbowing Lance in the rubs gently. Lance nudged him back.

The two laid there for a little while longer, pointing to the stars and laughing, their hearts beating faster as the other doubled up with laughter into the others shoulder, Lance being incredulous about Keith's names for the stars and Keith firing back with a comment that all his names were dramatic and sounded like an emo kids diary. Lance said 'takes one to know one.'

They soon descended into silence, not recognizing anymore constellations and getting their breath back from laughing so hard they made no noise.  
Keith suddenly realised he could still feel Lance's fingers against his, knuckles brushing together and wrists resting atop each other.  
It was then Keith broke his eyes from the stars and turned to Lance, knowing full well his cheeks were pink from noticing how close they'd gotten. Physically, and emotionally.

"Lance." He said, his voice annoyingly husky, in a strange pitch. It felt like the vibrations of his vocal chords were completely off as he looked at Lance.  
He turned his head to go eye to eye with Keith, brown hair curling round his eyes, a shadow of a smile on his face from the previous giggle fits.

"This," Keith began, deadly aware of how dry his lips had gotten and that this must be a terrible angle for him, "This is happening right now, huh?"

Lance looked confused for a second until he looked down and noticed how their shoulders were closely pushed together and of course, hands still clasped. They'd been like that for so long Lance felt like his fingers had fallen asleep in Keith's. He went mildly pink.

"Yeah. I guess it is. Is it okay?" He said, glancing up and down Keith's face.

Keith let out a huff of laughter, resting a hand on his own cheek on instinct to hide the smile growing on his face.

"It's.. Great. It's good. I didn't expect to have this much fun."

Lance smiled and looked away, a blush growing more apparent. Keith was trying not to stare, but it was hard not to. He didn't know Lance had freckles, but now he was only a few inches away he noticed how they peppered the bridge of his nose and to the corner of his eyes, some dotting round his cheeks.   
Keith's breath hitched and had to move his head back up to face the sky before he went red as his jacket. He heard a rustle and assumed Lance had done the same.  
A minute or so passed in silence as the two simply listened to each other breath and watched the glowing blue clouds pass by the gleaming stars.

"I, I didn't. I didn't think -" Keith sighed as he struggled with his words in attempt to break the silence. "I never thought to think -"

Lance raised an eyebrow. "Any day now."

"Shut up, Lance. I'm - What I'm trying to say is, I'm surprised you asked me to dinner. I mean - hell, I didn't even know if you liked guys before this. Of all the people I expected you to go out with, I didn't expect me to be on the list." 

Lance chewed his lip, eyes glued to the sky.

"Yeah. Me too, to be honest? Because.. The whole rival thing, because of Allura, but." Lance swallowed, eyes nervously darting. "It's always been you, really."

Keith was silent, and turned his head to Lance a little, eyes wide. He continued, avoiding eye contact with him.

"I never wanted to admit it, but I've always been so drawn to you. In the garrison, I desperately tried to get your attention by making remarks, being competitive to try and be your equal, try and get your attention, but I don't think it really worked." Lance laughed a little, running a hand through his hair. "And then years later after you dropped out.. When I saw you, I recognised you immediately. It woke up that competitive streak, I was almost bitter that you never noticed me all those years ago and now you show up again. Keith Kogane, coolest guy I knew. That carried on, until I matured, I guess. Being responsible for the fate of the universe sort of rushes you into being sensible. And.. I realised how much of that dumb rivalry was me being confused about my feelings. I had a high school crush on you, Keith. Textbook. And then, when you became the Black Paladin, that evolved. I felt proud of you. For overcoming your explosive instincts and turning that into how you would lead Voltron."

"I could never have done that without you, Lance." Keith said, voice hoarse, heart beating faster and faster with every word Lance said.

Lance laughed softly. "Allura said something like that, too. Guess she was right." The hand that was dug into his hair fell loose by his side again. "My crush turned into real feelings. Like, actual – You know. I... Yeah."

You actually fell in love with me, Keiths thoughts said as the words echoed in his mind.   
Lance was describing to him in detail how he fell in love with him and he felt as though he would explode if his heart went any faster. His eyes widened when he felt Lance's hand slip out of his to rest on Keith's chest, feeling his racing heart.

"Good." Lance said with a nervous laugh. "You're as tense as me."

"No - No. I'm not tense, I'm. I feel happy. Excited?" Keith said, moving his quivering hand to rest on Lance's. "Lance, you are — you are amazing. Nobody would be here if it wasn't for you. Right after Shiro, you are the person that has helped me, so much. And. We've helped each other. We —"

"We are a good team." Lance said softly and slowly, his voice a whisper in the silent night.

Keith squeezed Lance's hand against his chest and smiled.

"Yeah. We are."

They laid on the cliff in silence, the air still but the atmosphere around them sparking like firecrackers. It fizzled out around Keith as his jaw dropped, launching up onto his knees beside Lance.

"YOU DO REMEMBER THE BONDING MOMENT, YOU ASSHOLE - !"

"OF COURSE I REMEMBER, YOU IDIOT!" Lance yelled at him as he tackled Keith, arms around his neck and lips pressed against his, knocking them both back.

**Author's Note:**

> Take this as a quick one shot of sorts, because all my stuff is annoyingly short. Hope you enjoy


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